Welcome to Canada!

Has your plane landed at the Lester Pearson airport? Please accept my congratulations on your arrival in Toronto, the fourth largest city in the world! By the way, you probably do not know who Lester Pearson was? He was Prime Minister of Canada from 1963 to 1968, and approved the current Canadian flag. If you landed in another airport in Canada, you are still in luck: you have arrived at a peaceful, free and democratic country with equality among nations and a high standard of living.

However, I would like immediately to dispel some illusions that take place among people who will be going to Canada or who have recently arrived. Some of newcomers think that in Canada the streets would be paved with gold, and after arriving in this Promised Land, their happy future would be guaranteed forever.

Those who believed in that will be disappointed. Such an unrealistic view of Canada is formed by numerous advertising websites on the Internet, giving you a false idea of what to do to succeed in a new country. In fact, you will have to face many challenges before you will successfully adapt to a new country, and the first year will be the most difficult.

In her poem "Bridge", immigrant Maria Eugenia emotionally conveys her feelings after arrival in Canada:

"Immigration is like entering a bridge.When you get onto a bridge, you know there are an entrance and an exit.My problem is that I got onto the bridge,However, I don't know whether I am at The beginning, the middle Or the end of the bridge.I also don't know where the bridge will take me.I feel anxious; I don't know how much longer I have to keep going.I can't tell if I am just at the beginning or if I am almost out of the bridge.My only hope is to reach the end; this is what keeps me moving,But this is such a hard process.I never thought the bridge was this long.”

And you, who are going over this bridge, do you know where you are? Are you at the beginning, in the middle or at the end? Do you know how long you will go? And where the bridge will lead you? It seems to me that the length of the immigration bridge is not measured by such means as meters or kilometers; it has to be measured by days, weeks, months and even years. Every immigrant has his/her own bridge. Some immigrants cross their bridge after a year, others after three, and some need ten years. By the way, ten years is considered a complete period for an immigrant to be integrated into Canadian society. How it was found out? Statistics show that the unemployment rate among immigrants who have lived in Canada for ten years is the same as among domestic Canadians.How can you find out which part of the bridge you are on, and how long your bridge is? For this you should need an action plan. This site will help you plan your first year and succeed in Canada.

Welcome to Canada! You have arrived at a peaceful, free and democratic country with equality among nations and a high standard of living.

Stepping on Canadian land, many immigrants hope that all their difficulties are left behind, ignoring the fact that they have arrived in a country with a new language, different social system and public administration, unfamiliar laws, a western economy, and a different culture and values.

In your first year of life in Canada you will have to overcome numerous immigration barriers. This first year of life in Canada will change not only your lifestyle, but also your way of thinking. You will part with unfounded illusions and be able to stand with both feet firmly planted on the ground. You'll see what can be achieved in Canada, and by which means you will acquire success.

The book "Your First Year in Canada" will help you plan your first year and succeed in Canada.

This is a complete guidebook for newcomers which provide in-depth information about education, employment, health care, government assistance and settlement programs. In the way that people use travel guidebooks to help them navigate new places when they are traveling, this book aims to help newcomers navigate their new home, where they are planning to settle.

What is unique about this book is that it is written in question and answer format and accessible as a reference for specific questions, which they will be able to access using the table of contents. The book also includes important addresses, phone numbers and Internet sites, which can be used to connect with organizations, agencies and businesses serving newcomers across Canada.